Just Be You: What I Learned From Negativity

Isn’t it great that the Lord can show us something positive in a negative atmosphere? Yesterday, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with hurtful comments. While it mad me sad, I chose not to dwell on the negativity, but instead I tried to pray for those hurting so badly that they would lash out at others.

In the middle of it all, however, God gave me a thought. Regardless of who we are or what we are doing, some people will still not like us. What really got me though was the different opinions about the same person. I would see one post and it would be totally negative, calling the person names, and listing all of his faults and failures. The next post, from a different person, would be positive, listing all of his accomplishments. 

We can’t please everyone, but we can become the person that we want to be. At the end of the day, we should be pleased with ourselves. In the face of negativity, we should be loving and kind to ourselves. If we focus on what other people think about us, then we are allowing someone else to steal our dreams and dictate our life.

When I get unkind reviews it hurts my feelings. At first, it almost paralyzed my ability to write. The hurtful words prevented me from blogging for a while. Every time I sat down to write, the hurtful words entered my mind. It made me doubt my ability. Therefore, it would take me a week to write a single blog post and then another week to publish it. Sometimes, even after I had poured my heart into it, I couldn’t bring myself to share it. 

Now it upsets me that I wasted so many thoughts and opportunities to help someone else. The devil loves for us to dwell on the heartache. He will steal our dreams if we allow him to. When we focus on our abilities, our dreams, and follow the Lord, however, the devil can’t do anything with us.

In a world of so many opinions, just be you! Every day we need to do what we love, and strive to be the person that God called us to be. We all have a gift, and we need to use our gift to the best of our ability. 

Blessings and love, 

Candida